COVID-19 Roundup: Ozzy Osbourne Selling Bat-Themed Virus Shirt

Ozzy Osbourne added a new bat-themed shirt to his merchandise line, days after the World Health Organization reported that coronavirus probably passed to humans from bats.

The shirt features the singer's logo with a bat motif and the words “fuck coronavirus” on the sleeve. It’s accompanied by a non-medical-grade face mask for those who order on his webstore within the first 72 hours. The items will not ship until mid-May.

Osbourne has been associated with bats since an incident in 1982 when he bit the head off one after a fan threw it at him during a concert. He assumed it was made of rubber until he put it in his mouth.

“Immediately … something felt wrong,” he said in his 2009 memoir I Am Ozzy. “My mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the worst aftertaste you could ever imagine. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin. Then the head in my mouth twitched.” Last year, Osbourne released a plush toy bat, complete with a detachable head, to mark the moment.

Meanwhile, Dave Grohl described the BBC’s all-star cover of the Foo Fighters song “Times Like These” as an important moment in his life. The track, released as part of the British broadcaster’s COVID-19 charity activities, features a wide range of musical artists along with Grohl and his bandmate Taylor Hawkins.

"I got really emotional - for this to be used for something so meaningful,” Grohl said. “It’s one of the hugest moments in my musical life. It’s a funny feeling for me because it’s a song I wrote at a strange time in my life, where I was scared but hopeful, and I think it applies to today.”

You can watch the new video below.

Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante streamed a lockdown cover of the Rush song “Freewill,” recorded with Alex Skolnick of Testament, Roberto Diaz of Suicidal Tendencies and Brandon Yeagley of Crobot. It follows their version of Rush’s “YYZ” earlier this month.

"It’s been humbling to hear from so many of you who've let us know how much this has been helping during this difficult period of quarantine and isolation,” Benante said. “‘Freewill’ is about thinking for yourself, accepting difficult truths and avoiding superstition, magical thinking and herd mentality (most pertinent during these times).”

You can watch the video below.

Spotify added a tipping service for musicians using the platform, allowing them to receive donations from fans or forward them to good causes. “First and foremost, this feature enables artists who are interested in raising money to support themselves, their bands or their crews, to get the word out to their fans on their Spotify artist profiles,” a statement explained.

"We’re working as quickly as we can to develop this new product and get it out to as many artists as possible. However, we've never built a fundraising feature like this before. We consider this a first version that will evolve as we learn how to make it as helpful as possible for the music community."